Well let's see....left Kennebec and headed for Rapid City on Tuesday morning. The wind was from the southeast and just beat us up. Mike took me through the grasslands south of I-90 and through a small corner of the Badlands. Amazing to see pelikans in this part of the world....they are a long distance from the ocean. Seagulls also are in the area- why I don't know but they reside here without salt water. Got to John's house and went to a great restaurant- Minerva's. Susan (another cousin) joined us for wonderful evening.Wednesday we left Rapid City and headed for Bozeman. It was cold and looked like rain so we started out with rain gear on (what a hassle).
Boy were we glad we put on those "clown pants and coat". It started to spit on us and it was very cold like 50'. At one point- I thought it was going to snow on us but it was only heavy rain. Sidenote- my dual headlight got broken on our way to South Dakota - rock hit it. Mike got a new light (translation= expensive $299) and fixed it. Just out of Belle Fouche- I got hit again and once again one of the lens is broken but not smashed- it still works and we will not replace this one until it falls apart. So- back to that rain....it started to rain as we entered a construction zone. The road had been ground up and grooved. Scared me to death as the front wheel just wobbled all over the place. I kept slowing down because of that wobbly wheel AND I couldn't see due to the rain. Imagine a windshield with rain all over it and then your sunglasses are also covered. All I could see was that yellow line that separated me from that oncoming traffic. Slower and slower I went...Mike finally stopped me and gave me "the pep talk". We let a bunch of traffic go by and off we went again. Luckily it was only 15 miles of grooves and holes but I thought I would get bucked off the bike if I rode too fast!! Glad that initiation is done.So the good thing- Eastern Montana is green as can be....looking at the pastures and hillsides reminded me of a painting I entered into a 4-H contest. The painting was of a house and green lawn and the judge told me that no lawn was ever solid green. If I remember correctly I did not get a ribbon. That judge obviously had never been to Montana- those fields were painted a "solid" John Deere green and there weren't any other blips of color. The cows looked like intense black spots against all that green grass.
Today (Thursday May 19) we were lucky to ride in good weather with light winds, full sun and basically good roads. I was nervous to ride the I-90 passes - Continental Divide, Lookout and then Fourth of July. Even in a car- these curvy mountain roads can be tricky but the bike and I handled it well. Actually it was easier to ride than I thought it might be. There was still snow on the mountain side and the air was very cool. Tonight we are in Coeur d'Alene and tomorrow we head to Seattle to see the kids.
The views have been tremendous- there is nothing like being out in the wind, smelling everything so intensely and feeling very small. When you are in a car- you don't get that same effect. The trees are taller, the mountains snowier...you get the idea. Needless to say- our sight seeing has been as we travel the roads. After a day on the bike, the only thing I really want to see is the inside of my e
yelids!!
1 comment:
I was wondering if Mike mentioned anything about the meeting. Since this may be seen by other Trapper Creekers I'll try to be civil, but even with his remote telephone connection I could still sense his eyes rolling during some parts. Suffice to say, it was another unnecessarily long affair. Sounds like you are having a blast despite the road conditions. I do want to hear more details about the "pep talk" when you get back.
Paul
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